Sweet Victory: Behind the Scenes
by sheldonplankton92
Summary: SpongeBob and his friends have been invited to attend the Bubble Bowl after a worldwide petition has been signed to allow their one-hit wonder "Sweet Victory" to be performed for the first time in years. Will this be worth the wait?
1. Chapter 1: The Funeral

Chapter 1: The Funeral

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Date - November 26, 2018

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SpongeBob SquarePants woke up, fixed a nice cup of French toast, and prepared himself for another glorious day at The Krusty Krab.

On the way there, he passed by Squidward's house as he always did, but something didn't seem right. The bright blue cephalopod seemed to have all the blue drained out of him, and a forlorn expression SpongeBob had never seen before.

Squidward usually seemed gloomy, but that was due to his failure to be recognized as a member of society. Painting, horrible clarinet playing, simply acknowledging SpongeBob existed, business as usual.

But this time, the sponge knew something hit his friend hard. Something traumatic.

SpongeBob knocked on the Easter Island head's door. Squidward simply said through tears, "TV. Tu-turn on the TV."

He did as he was told. Elaine, the realistic male fish-head anchor, delivered the news very differently.

He usually spoke in an over-the-top news voice, but today all he could do was keep it real in a much lower voice.

"We have been informed that our creator Stephen Hillenburg has died today at age 57. He was diagnosed with ALS in March of 2017, and unfortunately has lost the battle. The Bikini Bottom Funeral Home has already made arrangements for the 28th. Even though he is gone, he will continue to live on in every one of us."

SpongeBob then found himself in a complete state of shock. He, of course, had been with Hillenburg since day one, and now could only hope that he was on the right path in the end.

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Two days later, the Bikini Bottom Funeral Home held a mass tribute.

The visitation was nothing short of packed. Everybody who was anybody was there, from Patrick Star to the shortest one-lined character.

SpongeBob usually wasn't one to brag about his show, but he felt he had to because of Steve's involvement in the first few seasons. He noticed the show had gone rather downhill since his departure, and was excited to hear that he reappeared for his second movie in 2015. He was always optimistic in seeing everyone leaving the show on a high note, especially in lieu of numerous inner and outer battles. Now that Steve was gone, he needed that moment more than ever.

Patrick Star also noticed a slight change in his intelligence levels. At times, he was shown an overly-exaggerated dummy or a completely selfish jerk, especially in seasons 5-9. The second movie had him go back to his subtle, more friendly self. Not completely stupid, but clueless nonetheless. Because of these multiple personalities, Patrick feared the worst and he wouldn't even realize it when the time came.

Eugene Krabs also remembered when he wasn't always a "twisted, blackened, money-grubber", as Plankton once referred to him. He started out as a rich, money-loving crustacean. Sure he had his moments in the first few seasons i.e. Krabby Land, where he was shown that way, but then he also remembered that he truly loved SpongeBob as a son in episodes like Welcome to the Chum Bucket. All he could now do was reflect and wonder what was in store for him and his business.

Even Plankton, who had even tried to kill Mr. Krabs in the first movie, could only hold back tears as he was reminded of his childhood friendship with the crustacean. He even knew that at some point in the future, he would go right back to his evil ways, but at this point Neptune's spirit seemed to get a hold of him.

After the funeral, everyone went home where a week-long marathon of some of their best episodes played to celebrate the life of the man who gave the same to them.


	2. Chapter 2: The Petition

Chapter 2: The Petition

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It was December 1. Life had started back up for the citizens of Bikini Bottom.

Everyone was enjoying their Krabby Patties, even Squidward seemed to be in a better mood.

The big orange fish with the brown hair and sunglasses from The Krusty Sponge, we'll call him Bill, felt a vibration in his pocket from his shellphone.

Bill looked at the notification. It was from a funding website, and already it petitioned 20,000 fans to have the Bubble Bowl play a live version of the Bikini Bottom Super Band's only, yet well-acclaimed song "Sweet Victory" as a tribute to Steve.

Him being a nerd, he couldn't help but inform everyone of the big news.

Squidward was overjoyed when he heard his band's song was back in the limelight. It all came back to him; the music, the lights, the roaring crowd, and best of all, getting back at Squilliam.

Now as all you SpongeBob fans know, Squilliam returned to Bikini Bottom afterwards and insultingly asked Squidward what all he'd accomplished since high school.

At the time, Squidward thought his rival was denying his success, but felt a painful blow as he realized Squilliam truly did forget his performance at the Bubble Bowl thanks to his heart attack.

Flashing back to the then-present day, Squidward realized he could repeat the event again, with much better results.

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After his shift, the cephalopod ran to his house and called Squilliam's number.

At his quadruple-decker Easter Island head, Squilliam picked up his phone with a hearty "Helloooo-hoooo!"

"Hello, Squilliam.", the cashier replied. "I have some big news for you."

"Let me guess, Squiddy. Another one of your so-called accomplishements that will fail upon first second?"

Squidward hesitated to reveal his moment of fame to be.

"Well let's just say I have something big in the works for a rather large crowd, and maybe next time you'll think twice before insulting me."

"It doesn't matter what you do. I'll always be ten billion dollars richer.", the wealthier squid proclaimed.

"Anyway, good luck on your material. I hope the audience brings lots of *cough* Ibuprofen!"

*hang up*

Squidward then decided to gather everyone at the band rehearsal center, but instead have SpongeBob be the coach. He felt like he owed him one.

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At the Music Rehearsal Center

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Squidward and SpongeBob arrived late, while everyone else passed the time literally chanting "Blah blah blah blah blah" to each other.

But unlike the first concert where they only had four days to rehearse, they had until at least a month.

Also, everyone had more experience with their instruments. Plankton even rigged Patrick's jar of mayonnaise to explode and emit an array of colorful merging lights during the chorus.

And finally, everyone was cooperating and the band house never ended up with even a scratch.

Now it just so happened that Bill was among the members, and he recieved another notification on his phone.

"Wait guys. Hold on."

All the other members stopped in their tracks.

Bill continued, "It appears that another band might be playing our song. Some band from the surface world called 'Maroon 5'. They announced it on their social platform."

The members were all up in arms that they may not be the ones performing the song, but they didn't fight because they at least knew the petition was confirmed to have the song play.

After two more weeks of rehearsal and choreography, the band was ready.


	3. Chapter 3: The Bubble Bowl

Chapter 3: The Bubble Bowl

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Date - February 3, 2019

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It was the big night before the show. Everyone had practiced well and Squidward was proud.

"Everyone.", the cephalopod exclaimed, "I just want to congratulate you on your time and patience. Because today we're actually doing it. Remember everyone, this is for Steve."

Squidward almost told them about Squilliam, but figured he was watching TV at the moment and was afraid this part would be broadcast too.

He led them down the corridor to where the giant bubble dome would rise up and the cameras would record the miniature band for all the humans.

Bubble Bowl 53 showed no signs of stopping. It was almost the end of the second quarter, and halftime was almost there.

SpongeBob was so eager to perform that he couldn't stop marching in place and moving his tongue up and down.

For some reason, Squilliam didn't show up to watch Squidward "blow it."

But then again, he never told him where he was and assumed he could watch it on TV. Squilliam was a football fan after all. He even bribed certain teams to lose and bet on the opposition.

Finally, the inevitable happened: The Bubble Bowl halftime show!

All the sea creatures listened intently to the muffled bass above them. The band Maroon 5 was already in motion.

All they had to do was be patient.

Then as fate would have it, an announcer called for the BBSB to take their place in the giant plastic bubble.

This was it! The bubble rose to the stadium. Squidward raised his conductor's baton.

"And now, a true musical genius who needs no introduction." He wanted to congratulate SpongeBob for his hidden talent.

Squidward looked back at the yellow sponge, who still had his eager face on.

He gave a short groan before starting the song.

And just like before, the trumpets sounded off one by one while SpongeBob warmed up his vocals.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Just as Plankton hit those first piano keys, the bubble rose back down.

Everyone felt a pain in the back of their throats because they knew all their rehearsal time, and renting all that equipment was for nothing.

Bill remained optimistic though.

"Wait up everyone. It says Sweet Victory was still confirmed to play. Maybe we merely introduced another band to play it."

The band left the stadium and changed into their normal attire. Even if they didn't get to play, they at least knew they were honoring a noble cause.


	4. Chapter 4: The Broadcast

Chapter 4: The Broadcast

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Back at his home, Squidward was relaxing after a hard day's work.

He had just been assigned an extra graveyard shift at the Krusty Krab, but he didn't care.

He would wait until in between shifts or at least the small ones before he watched the broadcast he set up to record. Then nothing would be hanging over his head.

On February 20, he returned home from work and clicked on the recording of Bubble Bowl 53.

That's when the phone rang.

Squidward picked it up and uttered "Hel-loooo."

"Helloooo-hoooo." The voice on the other end called out.

He recognized the voice right away. It was Squilliam alright.

"Hello Squiddy." The rich cephalopod's unibrow moving like a wave.

"You didn't happen to watch Bubble Bowl 53, did you?"

Squidward almost choked on his hot chocolate.

"Wait, wh-what do you mean I should watch the Bubble Bowl?"

"Heh, uh-heh." Squilliam chuckled. "You'll see."

The bald squid decided to go along. Maybe he was bluffing just to get to him.

And why wouldn't he? The petition had won. Sweet Victory was confirmed.

So saying, Squidward fast-forwarded through commercials until he stopped at Maroon 5's ending song.

"And now, a true musical genius who needs no introduction."

The camera cut to SpongeBob's eager face and Squidward groaning.

Just then, right before the opening notes to the song, an autotuned voice uttered two immortal words.

"It's lit."

Squidward, despite being a squid of culture, knew very well what that meant.

Then, something that sounded like one of those old Casio keyboards played on top of the opening trumpets.

The camera then cut to a green meteor heading in the direction of Earth; the synth still playing.

Squidward was confused. Where are they going with this?

Maybe Neptune sent that meteor and he's doing us all a favor.

Suddenly, instead of exploding, a brown-skinned rapper from the surface world emerged and kept the crowd going as if the BBSB was no big deal.

Squilliam was busy counting his suction cups in a "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" manner to signal Squidward's impending defeat.

He turned up the volume on his shellphone to hear Squidward falling to the ground and shivering like a baby, his rival's one word "Ibuprofen" echoing in his head for about a minute.

When the bald one came to, he was outraged.

"Why? Why, Squilliam?! What did I do to you?!"

"Simple, Squiddy. You humiliated me last time, and now this is my revenge."

"But, but. But I thought you forgot about it because of your heart attack."

"Well, uh-heh, uh-heh, I did. Until that petition spread on the internet, then it all came back to me. Plus, in order to make more moolah, I made a deal with the NFL to make a more dated, hip halftime show. I mean come on. The first Bubble Bowl was years ago, and the song even older. I'm just trying to get 'with it' you know."

Squidward could not believe what he was hearing.

"Our creator has passed away over a year and a half of battling an incurable disease, and you're only concerned about money?"

"Look at us, we're basically the same guy, except I'm rich and you're a lowly peasant. I also wanted to prove your self-righteousness. Thinking you're so humble for even a second just because you have sappy feelings when someone loses their life."

"It's called having a _**HEART**_ and a _**CONSCIENCE**_, Squilliam! You should _**TRY**_ it sometime!"

*hang up*


	5. Chapter 5: One Last Performance

Chapter 5: One Last Performance

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SpongeBob, Patrick, and all the other Bikini Bottomites were as furious as Squidward when they saw the Bubble Bowl halftime show.

And they all knew who was responsible.

They couldn't believe Squilliam was shallow enough to think that honoring someone's life was worth being overshadowed by staying hip and relevant with current trends.

Squidward tried to be a kind squid for once, but after he heard the news he decided to take action.

He formed an angry mob and headed over to Squilliam's house for retaliation.

SpongeBob and Patrick, meanwhile, headed over to the Bikini Bottom Music Store, and purchased/rented all the musical instruments that were used for the Bubble Bowl, even Plankton's special mayonnaise jar.

They met the crowd just as they were converging on Squilliam's house, and stepped right in front of his door.

"_**Wait!**_"

The crowd gasped.

SpongeBob told them to put down their weapons and asked Squilliam where any spare cases of money were.

Squilliam refused, and ordered his security guards to drive them out.

SpongeBob stopped him and managed to talk with Squilliam, heart-to-heart.

After much convincing, Neptune finally began to penetrate Squilliam's conscience, and he truly apologized for his behavior and dishonoring Hillenburg's legacy.

The truth was, he too felt deeply ashamed, but he tried to convince himself that wasn't the case, for fear of losing the respect of his equally vacuous and rich friends from childhood.

Squilliam and the others then drove over to as many stores as they could find for spotlights and colored flame-shooters and asked to rent the Super Band uniforms one last time.

That night, the makeshift stage was all set up. The cameras were positioned just right, the spotlights and flame-shooters were put on a special timer. Everyone tuned their instruments and the show was about to begin.

Plankton even invented a special spirit channeler inside his piano that would send the concert footage in a special mist form straight to King Neptune.

And finally, Squidward took his position at the conductor's podium one last time.

"Okay, everybody. Let's get this over with."

He looked back at Squilliam, and instead of a taunting smile, one of encouragement appeared.

"One, two, three, four!"

The trumpets began to sound, one by one, building up to the opening fanfare.

Plankton turned on his tiny piano, as he played the notes leading up to the words.

Two separate conveyor belts parted the band members' positions to reveal SpongeBob, his head hung low.

Everything went dark. The spotlight changed to only SpongeBob, and he started to sing.

During his shouting part, the flame-shooters spouted a vertical rainbow of color that lit up the entire stage.

At the chorus of "_**Sweet, sweet victory!**_" Patrick broke his mayonnaise jar and rainbow mist and fireworks went flying.

And best of all, the sheet music that was purchased for the Bubble Bowl included the full 3-4 minute long version.

SpongeBob then found himself suspended by wires, playing a solo on his Goofy Goober guitar, and all the while, Plankton's channeler allowed the song to make its way to Atlantis, where Neptune re-configured it and played it for all the citizens.

When the song was over, Neptune could only make a contented smile and sent the video back to all the TVs in both Bikini Bottom and the surface world.

Finally, at the end of the broadcast, the screen faded out with only five words fading in.

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"This is for you, Steve."


End file.
